A state lawmaker wants to make sure police officers can't use a resignation to hide bad behavior.
Legislation introduced this week would require law enforcement agencies to keep a record of the reasons and circumstances surrounding a resignation.
If a resigning officer applies for a job at another department, the potential employer would be allowed to request a copy of their record.
Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) says the bill was inspired by a 2014 incident in which a former Eaton County deputy was caught on cell phone video making an "abusive and improper" arrest.
In the video, Greg Brown is seen aggressively pulling a 28-year-old man out of his car by his head during a traffic stop. Brown resigned a few weeks later.
"The officer resigned without any discipline or criminal charges, and a few weeks later, he was working at another department. I want to ensure that any time this happens, all future possible employers know exactly what they're getting into," Jones said.
Under the bill, Jones says departments that provide an employee's record to another department would be protected from liability.
